Old Time Rock and Roll
by tayryn
Summary: C.C.'s working too hard... Niles tries to help.


**The original version of this fic was written by my good friend Jaya for the seaQuest universe almost a decade ago now. It was tweaked a few years later, by me, for the Princess Diaries fandom with Jaya's permission... and now, I am doing so again with Niles and CC... because, well... yeah, I just couldn't resist it. (If you're curious about the other two versions, they can be read on my website.)**

**This is, after all, Niles' song! *G***

~CCN~

Niles sighed quietly as he propped his body up against the doorframe between the living room and dining room, and stared at his wife.

C.C. sat at the dining room table in front of her laptop, surrounded by stacks of folders, papers and scripts. Not an inch of the table's surface could be seen. Her blonde hair was tousled from constantly running her fingers through the shoulder length tresses. She scribbled on a yellow legal pad, looking up occasionally to glance through one folder or another before typing furiously on the laptop.

When C.C. dropped her head to rest on her hand, her pen falling to the table, Niles pushed away from the door, crossed the room and stepped up behind her.

"Come on, witch, you need a break. You've been at this for the last week and have only managed a few hours of sleep." His hands fell to her shoulders, his fingers gently massaging the tense muscles there.

A low moan escaped C.C.'s lips as her head fell back against Niles' stomach. "Oh God, that feels so good."

"Fran and Grace have taken Maddison to the park with the twins, so we have the house all to ourselves for a few hours. Why don't you go lie down on the bed and I'll give you a proper massage?"

C.C. gave a small, unladylike snort. "I wish that I could but I have to get this damned presentation finished for the studio by Monday."

"C.C., what more can you do on it? It's great."

"Great isn't good enough. If we're going to get the show renewed for another season, I have to really wow the studio execs. This is important…"

"But it isn't worth your health, C.C.. You need some rest or you're going to fall apart during your presentation."

"I don't have that much more to do. I'm almost finished with the rewrites. Another day and…"

"Another day and you will collapse from exhaustion. Our anniversary is this Saturday, in case you forgot, and we're supposed to be going away for the weekend to celebrate. Although, the way you've done nothing but work on this presentation, night and day, for the last two weeks, you're not going to be in any condition for celebrating."

"Dammit, Niles, this is important!"

Niles released her shoulders as if he'd been burned and he stepped back from his angry wife. "And our anniversary isn't?" remained unspoken on the tip of his tongue. He realized quickly that C.C. wasn't in a mood to be reasoned with, and he truly did not to fight with her.

"I'll leave you to your work then, Ms Babcock." His use of her professional name the only indication of his own anger as he left the room without looking back.

C.C. scowled after him for a moment then hit her fist against the table in frustration.

~NCC~

Niles tugged his shoes off and crept silently past the dining room, intent on not disturbing C.C.. He absently noted that her head was lowered in her hands as he went but he didn't realize she was crying until he was out of sight and heard her sobs.

If there was one thing his wife did not do easily… it was cry.

'_Oh, baby, you are so burnt out on all of this. What can I do to help you?' _ Niles leaned against the wall, his sock covered feet sliding absently over the polished wood floor as he listened to C.C. cry.

He stared down absently at his foot as he thought, gradually coming to focus on the cotton sock moving easily over the surface beneath. _'That might…'_ he thought, his mind pulling back a memory from five years ago. _'If nothing else she's sure to get a laugh out of it…'_ He moved resolutely toward the back of the house to gather a few needed items to implement his plan.

~NCC~

C.C. scribbled one last line on the notepad and threw the pen down. Niles' words had been playing over and over in her mind, finally convincing her that he was right. Her preoccupation with this presentation was driving her crazy. It was also detracting from precious time which could be better spent alone with her husband. It was time to go find her lover and try to salvage the few baby-free hours they'd been given thanks to Fran.

At that moment music rang through the house, one long chord… 'bum bum ba da da da dum'… then nothing.

'_He's not…'_ C.C.'s eyes grew wide just as the second cord sounded and Niles slid into view, his back to C.C. and his black socks gliding effortlessly on the polished wood flooring. Even from the back, she could see that his long-sleeve white button up shirt hung open, with the collar turned up around his neck. The bottoms of the leopard print boxers she'd bought him not long after they'd become lovers peaked out from under his shirt tail. One hand held what C.C. recognized as his feather duster, the feathers still encased within the handle, while the other hand tapped his thigh to the beat of the music.

'_Damn, the man has great legs,'_ she thought, unable to help herself from checking him out. A small smile pulled at the corners of her mouth as she raked her eyes over him, cursing the fact that his shirt tail covered his oh so fine ass. As that thought entered her mind, Niles lifted the feather duster up to his mouth like a mic and began to sing along with Seger.

Just take those old records off the shelf  
I'll sit and listen to 'em by myself  
Today's music ain't got the same soul  
I like that old time rock 'n' roll

Niles' knees began to lift and the bottom beneath the shirt began to shake as he danced to the music and whirled around to face C.C.. Dark sunglasses covered his beautiful blue eyes, and the crisp white cotton of his undershirt hid his chest from her gaze even as she now had a better view of his boxers. She grinned as he continued to sing at the top of his lungs.

Don't try to take me to a disco  
You'll never even get me out on the floor  
In ten minutes I'll be late for the door  
I like that old time rock 'n' roll

C.C. couldn't hold back the laughter that bubbled up from deep inside her as she watched Niles twirl and dance toward the table. She clapped in time with the music, her body beginning to sway with the beat, as she beamed at Niles.

Still like that old time rock 'n' roll  
That kind of music just soothes the soul  
I reminisce about the days of old  
With that old time rock 'n' roll  
Won't go to hear them play a tango  
I'd rather hear some blues or funky old soul  
There's only one sure way to get me to go  
Start playing old time rock 'n' roll

As the words of the chorus finished, Niles executed a particularly stunning spin then fell to his knees, sliding the feathers up and out of the handle then twisting the duster around until it swung sideways so that he was now playing air guitar in time with the music.

"Niles!" C.C. gasped through her laughter, tears running down her cheeks; hoping he hadn't hurt his knees with that move.

Call me a relic, call me what you will  
Say I'm old-fashioned, say I'm over the hill  
Today's music ain't got the same soul  
I like that old time rock 'n' roll

Niles had the music turned up quite loud so that the sound filled the living room and dining room to the exclusion of everything else. Had it been a bit lower one of them might have heard the doorbell, followed by the sound of the door flying open. As it was, neither Niles nor C.C. realized that they were no longer alone in the house until a very stunned Fran appeared in the entryway, her eyes round with surprise.

"Oh my god!"

Still like that old time rock 'n' roll  
That kind of music just soo…

Niles' voice trailed off as the song continued to blare over the speakers. The dark glasses slid down his nose as he peered at the stunned woman over the top of the lenses, a sheepish smile on his face.

Fran held up her hands and shook her head. "I don't wanna know… I SO don't want to know," she called out loudly; her voice naturally carrying over the music. "You forgot to give me Maddison's hat. I'm going to go grab it and disappear." She turned and hurried out of the living room.

The shades slid a bit further as Niles turned back to stare at C.C.. She returned the stare in kind, her lips twitching frantically as she struggled to hold back her mirth.

"Don't do it!" Niles held up his hand, one finger pointed at C.C. in warning. It was her undoing. She burst out laughing again.

Niles stood slowly and turned to leave the lounge. C.C. was on her feet in an instant, running to his side. As she rounded the table she remembered that she had kicked her shoes off but it was too late. Her momentum carried her forward as the silk of her nylons slid across the floor.

"Niles!" She called the instant before she crashed into him. Niles turned his torso in time to receive the full impact of C.C.'s blow and they both tumbled to the floor in a heap.

"I'm sorry I laughed. Please don't be angry!" C.C. begged as she struggled to untangle her limbs from his.

Niles grinned as he rolled C.C. to her back beneath him. "I'm not angry. I was just going to turn the music down. The whole point of this exercise was to make you laugh. You've been entirely too serious this past week."

"And you and Maddy have been angels for putting up with me. Not two seconds before you slid in here I had decided to quit working on the damned presentation and go with what I already have."

The brilliance of Niles' smile was reward enough for C.C. but then he lowered his face to hers, lips brushing lips gently in thanks.

"Why don't you go take a nice long nap? You need some rest. I need to run out to the market anyway to get a few needed ingredients for dinner tonight," Niles murmured against C.C.'s ear as he nuzzled her blonde locks.

"Or we could just order in," C.C.'s hands slid down Niles' back to cup his bottom suggestively. "And then you could join me for that nap?"

"If I did that, I doubt you would get any of the sleep that you need." Niles replied but didn't protest when C.C. turned to face him, her mouth seeking his.

Their second kiss was anything but chaste, their legs entangling while their tongues did the same.

"Oy, don't you two ever stop?"

Niles and C.C. broke apart, their heads turning in unison to see Fran walking quickly towards the front door, her face screwed up in a grimace.

"Fran…" Niles started.

"I'm sorry. I'm leaving. I didn't mean to interrupt you. Don't stop on my account. I'm sure that I won't be scarred for life. Although it may be a few weeks before I'm able to make love with Max again. And perhaps someday I'll be able to eat in this room without remembering… OUCH!" Fran stopped rambling as she stubbed her toe on the doorframe. "No… don't get up… I'm all right. Not as all right as the two of you apparently…" she grinned at them before disappearing into the foyer. "I'll be back with your daughter by four." Fran yelled out as she opened the door. "By the way, Niles... nice legs!"

The door slammed shut.

Niles rolled to his back beside C.C., both of their bodies shaking with laughter as the final chords of the song sounded and the repeat button started it again.

"Between the two of you, I am never going to live this down, am I?" Niles groaned as he slowly got to his feet then held his hands out to C.C..

"Not a chance," C.C. answered with a cheeky grin as she took hold and let him pull her to her feet then moved smoothly into his arms. Niles gave her a wink then grasped her hand as he spun her body away from him.

"You are a nut, Hazel." C.C. told him on her return spin. "But I do love you. So much."

"The feeling is entirely mutual, witch." Niles answered with a smile as he danced her around the room and down the hallway towards their bedroom.

~fin


End file.
